Protected blade



Sept. 27, 1938.

J. M. B WEN 2,131,368

PROTECTED BLADE' Filed April 27, 1937 iNVENTOR Patented Sept. 27, 1938moms STATES ATENT OFFICE PROTECTED BLADE- Joseph M. Bowen, West Quincy,Mass, assignor to Gillette Safety Razor Company, Boston, Mass, acorporation of Delaware Application April 2'7, 1937, Serial No. 139,264

5 Claims. (01. 20646) This invention relates to the packaging'of fineends may be located centrally and symmetrically edged blades, such forexample as safety razor or they may be offset toward one edge or theblades. In one aspect it consists in an end other of the blade accordingto the design of notched or recessed blade protected by a wrapper theblade to be wrapped, and in each' case the I 5 of sheet material andpositively held therein neck orreduced portion of the end tabs of the 5against displacement by being interlocked with wrapper will becorrespondingly located. the wrapper. A protected blade of this generalAn important advantage of the present inventype is disclosed and claimedin my priorapplition is that it may be applied with equal facilitycation, Ser. No. 101,281, filed September 17, 1936'. to the wrapping ofsingle edged bladesor double 1 In another aspect the present inventionconsists edged blades. 7 10 in the adaptation of the broad principle ofmy These and other features of the invention will earlier invention tothe wrapping of blades havbe best understoodand appreciatedfrom thefoling a recess provided at any point between their lowing descriptionof a preferred embodiment end corners. thereof, selected for purposes ofillustration and In handling safety razor blades under commershown inthe accompanying drawing, in which:I- 15 cial conditions oftransportation and distribution Figs. 1, 2 and 3 illustrate successivesteps in the and in the more or less casual treatment of such wrappingof a double edged blade having cenblades by the user, the extremelyfine, keen edge trally located end recesses; of the blade is likely tobecome dulled by being Figs. 4, 5 and 6 illustrate similar steps inwrapg rought into contact with its wrapping either at ping a singleedged blade having non-symmetria fold vertex or by being drawn across orcutting cally located end recesses;

the wrapper in being removed therefrom. On Fig. 7 is a fragmentary viewin perspective this account the best and most skillful efforts ofshowing one end of the blade in Figs. 2 and 3 in the manufacturer insharpening blades are often position upon its wrapper but before the endtab brought to naught because of the damage done is folded over the endof the blade.

to the fragile and delicate structure of the blade The wrapper blank,which may be made of edge after it has been brought to the keenest thinsheet material such as oiled or waxed paper possible shaving conditionand before the shaving as shown in Fig. 1, comprises a rectangular bodyoperation is actually undertaken. portion iii scored to define sideflaps H and [2 With these conditions in view an important oband end tabsor tongues l3. Each end tab I3 ject of the present invention is toprovide a novel tapers outwardly and is provided with a reduced Iwrapper in which an end notched blade may be portion or neck I l and anenlarged terminal fully enclosed and held positively in such posi- DO l5haVing a sfqllare Cut end e- In t e tion that its cutting edge isprotected at all times wrapper of Fig. l the reduced portions 54 arefrom direct contact with the fold vertex lines of symmetrically locatedcentrally in the tabs l3 and the wrapper. I have discovered that thedesired the outer portions l5 are symmetrically shaped results may beaccomplished by shaping the end and located upon the necks M. Theinwardly ditabs of the wrapper to present a neck or portion rected edgesof the portions 55 flare outwardly of reduced width which may be passedthrough or diverge and thus provide deep reentrant in- 40 or into theend cavities of the blade and so-interwardly tapering notches in theside edges of the 40 locked with the blade that transverse shifting dtabs- The necks M are located e y thereof in the wrapper is positivelyprevented. side or beyo t e fo d n s Of the tabs. The re- Then, byfolding side flaps of the wrapper on entrant angles formed at thejuncture of the said lines outside the sharp edge or edges of the blade,ps 5 l and 52 with the end tabs l3 pp y the latter is held positivelyout of contact with Venient angles for eng g and D V Y 1009i?- 45 theadjacent fold vertex lines of the wrapper. ing the blanks for theWrapping p on. F01

Preferably and as herein shown the reduced example, W en t e W p is doneby automatic portions or necks in the end tabs carry enlarged a e ygauge p s may be located at these ends or terminal portions which aresubstantially po t to wider than the recesses of the blade. The end Asherein shown a safety razorblade 20 of the tabs are thus shaped forinterlocking with the AHtOSt D yp is Selected illustrative D blade in alongitudinal sense and so prevent endposes. These blades have oppositelydisposed wise shifting which might eventually destroy the cutting edgesand unsharpened end edges in each integrity of the wrapping and permitdulling of of which is formed a deep notch or recess 2| havthe blade.The notches or recesses in the blade ing parallel side edges andbevelled or flaring out- 55 er corners. The blade 20, or a similarblade, may be presented to the wrapper in automatic machinery by asuction head having nozzles which engage the blade at spaced points andmaintain it in position by suction. The head is operated to carry oneblade after another from a stack in a magazine into position inalignment with the successive wrappers which may be presented by arotary turret or other mechanism. In its preliminary position the bladeis suspended above the body of the wrapper H by substantially the heightof the main portion of the end tabs 3. The body of the wrapper and theside flaps I i and [2 are held flat or substantially so while the endtabs l3 are turned into upright and substantially parallel position, asindicated in Fig. '7. In this condition the end flaps may be foldedinwardly and the reduced necks l4 passed into the end recesses 2i of theblade and this folding operation continues until the blade 28 is loweredupon the body ll! of the wrapper. The necks 14 pass fully into therecesses 2| and the terminal enlargements l of the end tabs lie fiatupon the upper face of the blade. This completes the interlockingengagement of the end flaps with the blade and it will be seen that thenecks I 4 fit snugly within the recesses 2! so that lateral shifting ofthe blade is positively prevented. At the same time the inner end of therecess 2i is brought into engagement with the enlarged terminal portionsi5 of the flaps so that endwise shifting of the blade in eitherdirection is positively prevented.

The wrapping of the blade may now be completed by folding the side flapsI! and I2 inwardly upon their fold vertex lines. As shown in Fig. 3 theflap I 2 is first folded and then the flap H is brought down upon it inoverlapping relation, completely enclosing the blade, covering theenlarged terminal portions [5 of the end fiaps and preventingdisplacement thereof. Accordingly, so long as the side flaps are held inclosed position, the blade is positively anchored in its wrapper andheld against displacement no matter to what usage the protected blademay be subjected.

In Figs. 4 and 5 my invention is illustrated as applied to the wrappingof a single-edged blade 40 having end notches located unsymmetricallyand closely adjacent to its rear unsharpened edge. In this case thewrapper comprises a rectangular body portion 30 and side flaps 3i and 32similar to the corresponding parts of the wrapper shown in Fig. 1. Endflaps 33 are also included in the wrapper and each is provided in itsouter edge with a reduced portion or neck 34 arranged nonsymmetricallyand offset toward the fold vertex line of the side flap 3|. The necks 34are thus positioned to register with the end recesses of the blade 40when the latter is symmetrically located upon the wrapper as shown inFig. 5. The neck portions 34, as before, terminate in enlarged terminalportions 35 having square-cut end edges and diverging inner edges whichform deep reentrant, inwardly tapering notches in the sides of the endflaps.

In the wrapping operation the blade 46 is presented in alignment withand above the body portion 30 of the wrapper and in such position thatthe end flaps 33 may be folded beneath the body of the blade while theneck portions 34 are caused to pass into the end recesses of the bladeand interlock therewith. As the folding operation continues the enlargedterminal portions 35 are folded downwardly upon the upper face of theblade 40 thus establishing a longitudinally interlocking relationbetween the two. Finally the blade is completely enclosed by folding theside flap 32 and then the side flap 3| as indicated in Fig. 6.

Having thus disclosed my invention and described two embodiments thereoffor purposes of illustration but not limitation, I claim as new anddesire to secure by Letters Patents:

1. A safety razor blade having recessed ends presenting unsharpenededges, in combination with a protecting cover including end tabs foldedon a line parallel to said unsharpened edges, the tabs having reducednecks engaging the sides of the recesses and enlarged end portions widerthan said recesses.

2. A safety razor blade having recessed ends, in combination with atprotecting cover including end tabs with reduced neck portions fittinginto the end recesses and enlarged terminal portions overlying the bladebetween the ends of said recesses, and side fiaps covering said terminalportions and the otherwise exposed body of the blade.

3. A protected blade having recessed ends, in combination with a wrapperincluding a body portion as long as the blade and end tabs foldedinwardly over the blade ends on fold lines spaced apart by the fulllength of the blade, the tabs having reentrant notches forming reducednecks which are received within the end recesses of the blade andenlarged terminal portions engaged with the inner edges of saidrecesses.

4. A protected blade having a wrapper with tabs folded over both endsthereof, the tabs being symmetrically edge-notched above theirrespective fold lines and thus provided with centrally located necks toenter similarly located recesses in the blade ends and having at theirfree ends enlarged portions wider than the recesses in the blade ends.

5. A protected blade having a wrapper with a tab folded over one endthereof, the tab having an unsymmetrically located neck therein locatedabove its fold line, said tab fitting within an offset recess in theblade end and having at its free end an enlarged portion wider than therecess of the blade.

JOSEPH M. BOWEN.

